Holiday Hangover Buckwheat Pancakes
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Holiday Hangover Buckwheat Pancakes
When it comes to a list of nutritious foods, you don’t often see buckwheat on there—but you should.
Buckwheat has been a popular food in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe for thousands of years. It was brought to the United States beginning in the 18th century, and soon after became a popular crop here as well.
Despite the deceiving name, buckwheat is, indeed, gluten-free. Buckwheat is more closely related to rhubarb than it is to wheat or rye (that being said if you are on a Gluten-Free diet for health reasons, you should take special care when buying buckwheat because it is often made in facilities that also process wheat products).
Buckwheat can be found throughout the year and in many different forms. You can get buckwheat in its toasted form, known as kasha.
You can find it in its raw form, known as groats. You can find buckwheat in dark milled flour, which is known for its earthy flavor, and in light milled flour, which has a milder flavor.
The list of how buckwheat is good for you could go on and on:
- It has essential and nonessential amino acids, which make proteins. It is high in all eight amino acids that the body needs.
- It is a better source of protein than millet, rice, and wheat. It has almost as much protein as eggs or milk.
- It is high in antioxidants, which are good for overall health and for preventing cell damage
- It is also high in manganese, zinc, copper, and magnesium, which are good for the immune system.
- It is high in vitamin E, iron, calcium, and potassium.
- It is high in fiber, which is important for healthy digestion and helps make you feel full for a longer period.
- Eating foods high in fiber can even help prevent problems with gallstones.
- It can help to lower blood cholesterol levels.
- It protects against heart disease.
- It is high in magnesium, which improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure, making for a healthier cardiovascular system.
- It is good food for people with diabetes, since eating it helps to slow down glucose absorption rates after a meal.
- It contains B vitamins, bioflavonoids, ferrum, cuprum, and quertsetin. There are several different ways to use buckwheat in your everyday cooking.
- Buckwheat can be mixed in with veggies, pasta, or potatoes to give these foods an extra nutritional boost, and to add a bit of a tasty, nutty flavor. Buckwheat can be found in soba noodles, porridge, and, even in some kinds of beer.
Here is one particularly good use for buckwheat—delicious gluten-free pancakes. These pancakes are a great way to feed a crowd, so if your house happened to be the delegated as the family in for a special winter day, turn up the griddle and feed them something healthy and delicious!
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour (available online here)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
A dash of salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 egg
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
Directions:
1. To begin, spray the griddle with cooking spray or grease lightly, and preheat to 375
degrees.
2. Combine the dry ingredients.
3. Gently beat the egg, and then add it to the dry ingredients.
4. Add in milk and butter or oil and mix well.
5. Put approximately 1⁄4 cup of batter on the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form.
Turn and cook until browned (about 1 to 1 1⁄2 minutes).
So, if you are looking for a food that is packed with nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting properties, besides being tasty in many different forms, you might want to check out buckwheat—despite what others may claim about certain fruits and vegetables, buckwheat might be the world’s most perfect food.
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